Anil Deshmukh resigns as Maharashtra home minister: All you need to know

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Monday sent his resignation to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. This comes after the Bombay High Court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a preliminary inquiry within 15 days into corruption allegations levelled by former Mumbai commissioner Param Bir Singh against Deshmukh.    

Also read: Who is Anil Deshmukh? NCP leader stepped down as Maharashtra home minister

Here’s what has happened in the case until now:

Singh, days after being removed as commissioner of Mumbai Police for mishandling the bomb scare outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence, claimed in a letter to Thackeray on March 20 that Deshmukh had asked certain police officers to collect Rs 100 crore per month from hotels and bars in Mumbai. 

In an eight-page letter, Singh included the name of Sachin Waze, a now-suspended Mumbai cop, who was arrested in the Ambani case.

Hours later, Deshmukh denied the allegations made against him and said that he will file a defamation case against a former Mumbai police chief. 

Pressure started building up on Deshmukh as Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar said the accusations were “serious” while chief minister Thackeray called a meeting on the same. Bharatiya Janata Party demanded Deshmukh’s resignation and sought a CBI inquiry into the allegation.

On March 22, Singh moved Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe into the extortion allegations against Deshmukh. But the Supreme Court, a day after, refused to entertain the plea of the former Mumbai Police chief asked him to approach the Bombay High Court with his grievances.

Singh then went to the high court on March 25 with his petition. 

The Bombay High Court last Wednesday asked Singh why he did not lodge a police complaint if he was aware of some wrongdoing.  

Amid the politics around the case, the high court on Monday asked CBI to start a preliminary inquiry within 15 days into the corruption allegations against Deshmukh, after which, Deshmukh filed his resignation.

“I don’t have the moral right to continue in office after the court order. I have decided to quit. Kindly relieve me from my post,” Deshmukh’s resignation letter said.